The night air was cold and sharp, stinging Nightwing's eyes even through his mask as he patrolled the rooftops of the city he called home.
"Hey Barb, remind me to take my vacation during winter next time. Gotham in the cold sucks." He said, speaking to Oracle through the comm-link hidden in his ear.
"You get vacation time now?" She asked.
"No, but a man can dream." Nightwing answered, sighing as he zipped up to a ledge hanging off a nearby building. "At least things are quiet tonight. Makes freezing my ass off seem almost worth it." He reattached his grapnel gun to his belt. "Almost." He scanned what alleys he could see from his vantage point, finding nothing amiss. "Still no sign of danger. How are things back at the cave?"
Dick could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "How are things always at the cave? Quiet. Dark. Faint smell of guano no matter how many wipes Alfred uses." She answered snarkily. "I always forget how lonely this place gets without you guys here."
Dick raised his eyebrow. "Without us there? Isn't Tim back with you?"
"No. I thought he was out with Bruce. All his gear is gone and I haven't heard from him since this morning."
"Damn it, kid." He muttered. "Barbara, Tim wasn't supposed to be on patrol tonight, that's why Bruce and I both left. Start tracking his mask and send me the coordinates."
"Understood." A few moments of searching passed. "I've got a hit! Sending the coordinates now."
"Oh, shit." He whispered, reaching for his grapnel.
"What, what's the matter?" Barbara asked, her nerves getting the better of her.
"He's on Amusement Mile, and we both know damn well who took him there." Nightwing said, already sprinting from rooftop to rooftop towards the young Robin's signal.
"Wait, Dick, let me call Bruce, you'll get yourself killed rushing in like that!"
"There's no time for that. If I waste a single moment, I'm afraid you-know-who will get bored. And you and I both know what'll happen then."
Barbara hesitated for a moment. "You- you're right. Just get to him fast, and please be careful. I'll call Bruce right away."
"I will be. And Barb?" Dick creeped over a ledge overlooking Amusement Mile. "Tell him to hurry." He said, as he looked down and saw three, giant, blood red "HA"'s against the stark white snow on the boardwalk.
/
"Won't be long now. You'll see." Tim yelled out, struggling against the ropes lashed to his wrists. "They'll be on their way, as soon as they notice I'm gone. And if you kill me, I know they won't hold back. You're screwed. Big time." He continued, eyes straining to see anything in the dark building he'd woken up in. He couldn't hear anything outside. Bad sign. There was no telling how long he'd been out, and worse, he couldn't identify anything to help him figure out where he was. He pulled tighter on the ropes and tried to wriggle away to no avail.
"C'mon, at least show yourself, so I know whose butt to kick once I'm outta here."
"Hehehehe…" Tim heard raspy laughter behind him and tried to turn to find the source, but the ropes held him tight.
"Who's there?"
"As if you don't already know, Robin~." The voice hissed, and Tim felt the moist heat of its breath on the back of his neck. "I've been waiting a long, long time for this. You Robins are so tricky to catch, you know. Which are you anyway? Number three? Number four? Does he even care enough to count anymore?"
"You." Tim swallowed nervously.
"Me." Replied the voice. "Now, I know what you're thinking. How could he be here? They locked him up and threw away the key. Batman put him in a straitjacket. Batman stuck him in the dungeon of some asylum. Perfect little Batman stopped the clown forever. Well, let me tell you, birdbrain." Sharp footsteps rang out into the empty space as a ghastly white face appeared before Tim in the darkness. "The Bat isn't as clever as he thinks he is."
Tim glared. "Joker."
"The one and only." The monstrous phantom grinned wide, wider than should have been possible for it. Its eyes were bloodshot, as though it hadn't blinked for years. Possibly worst of all was the stench of its breath, like rotting flesh assaulting Tim's nose.
"So, what, this is your wacked-up revenge plot? Taking out all that resentment on me?" Tim said through gritted teeth. "Batman's gonna break your jaw for this."
The Joker chuckled. "A good comedian never recycles material. Didn't I do that shtick already? Bring a Robin to a warehouse, beat the everloving HELL out of him, and leave his mangled, bloody corpse for Batman to find? Hahaha!" It shook its head. "No, no, it's been done. It's old hat, it's cliche, it's predictable, but worst of all, it's too damn easy! I could kill you any way I wanted right now. Maybe even break out the old crowbar, like I did with Joshua."
"His name is Jason."
"Same difference."
Tim spit, hitting the Joker in the face with a gob of saliva. This earned him a swift punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him gasping.
"As I was saying," It continued, wiping the spit off its eye with a finger, "To kill you would be too easy, and frankly, not nearly as funny. No, no, I have a different plan."
Tim laughed through wheezing breaths. "Whatever it is, it won't work. My uniform has a tracking function. He knows exactly where I am. Even if you did decide to kill me, you've already lost. He's coming."
"I'm counting on it, twerp. I may be a clown, but I'm no fool. Why do you think I took your mask as soon as I collected you?" The Joker said, cackling. "Oh, I know exactly where your friends are headed. I just can't wait for them to find the surprises I left for them! Hahaha!"
/
AN: To be continued in one week.